CHENEY, Wash. — Cheney Police announced its interim police chief who has already been working to serve the community in many significant ways.
Interim Chief Chris Oakes is a US Army War veteran born and raised in Washington. He came to the Spokane area in 2009 and became a reserve officer in 2011 where he later transitioned into a full-time officer in Cheney.
Oakes was honored with CPD’s Person of the Year award in 2011 and received two Life Saving Awards in 2012 and 2018.
He is stepping into the role of interim Chief following Chief Richard Beghtol’s retirement last month.
“I bring the motivation to maintain an open mind, and I believe the best way forward is to build relationships with the community to accomplish a common goal of community safety and prosperity. I am an advocate for community partnerships, mental health, crime victim support, domestic violence and crime prevention. I believe the best way to ensure public trust is by fostering strong relationships between the police department and the citizens,” interim Chief Oakes said. “I look forward to this opportunity to continue to build on the hard work done by Chief Beghtol and my predecessors to continue to serve the members of our community to the best of our ability.”
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